Sir Jim Ratcliffe has created a mess at Old Trafford, limping from one bad decision to another as co-owner.
Ratcliffe may have to take cover.(Image: )
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When Sir Jim Ratcliffe secured a minority stake at Manchester United, he stressed his regime would need time to put things right. Everyone knew it would not be a quick fix, but Ratcliffe said that it would be fair to judge him after two or three seasons in charge of football operations.
Ratcliffe said: “So, the message to the fans… I think absolutely our priority with Manchester United is performance on the pitch. So we want Manchester United to be challenging for the Premier League, challenging for the Champions League. That's what Manchester United is about.
“It's the greatest club in the world, so it should be playing the greatest football in the world. But it's not a light switch. We can't just switch a switch and, all of a sudden, United are going to be playing football at the level of Real Madrid because they haven't been for the last 11 years. That takes time and patience.
“The important thing is, I think, that we all observe the trajectory of Manchester United over the next two or three seasons, and the trajectory has to be in a good direction. I think that's how we should be measured.
“I would ask for a bit of patience, but ultimately, you know, the performance of the club does sit on our shoulders. My shoulders particularly, but also Dave Brailsford, who's going to be intimately involved, and the rest of the people at the club obviously. And we need to take the rough with the smooth.
“If we're successful that's fine. I think it would be nice to get a pat on the back for that. But if we're not successful, then it's on our shoulders. So, we fully accept that responsibility and we're going to be very, very focused on doing all the things that we can, as well as we can, to turn Manchester United into a winning side again."
The Ineos regime's first big decision ahead of Ratcliffe's first full season as co-owner was to address Erik ten Hag's future. The Dutchman's contract was extended when overwhelming evidence indicated he should have been sacked.
After the Dutchman departed, Ruud van Nistelrooy took over on an interim basis before Ruben Amorim was appointed. United paid around £11million to release him from his contract at Sporting, but Amorim lasted just 14 months in charge and received a £10m compensation package when he was axed.
Ratcliffe's regime has thrown around millions while hitting fans' pockets.(Image: 2025 James Gill - Danehouse)
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Dan Ashworth departed shortly after Amorim's appointment. It was said there were "too many cooks in the kitchen (boardroom)", and there was an internal clash over Ten Hag's successor. United paid a combined £14.5m to sack Ten Hag, his backroom staff and Ashworth.
Ratcliffe is about to hire another interim coach in his second full season in charge of football operations, with Michael Carrick now the leading candidate to oversee the rest of the campaign.
United exited the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at the first opportunity, meaning they will play 40 games this season, their fewest in a campaign for 111 years. The season could become bleak if United fall into the bottom half of the table in the next few weeks and lose pace with the Champions League places.
Ratcliffe oversaw the worst season at Old Trafford in 51 years last term. The British billionaire wanted to be different to the Glazers, but the results on the pitch have actually got worse, not better.
The mess has spread beyond the pitch. Ratcliffe needed to lower the employee count, which was the highest in the Premier League, but the extent of the redundancies was brutal. That was the start of an assault on the club's identity: ticket prices have soared, and the penny pinching has known no bounds.
Ratcliffe axed the annual £40,000 donation to the Association of Former Manchester United Players, which was set up in 1985 to support its 300-plus members, who represented the club in the years before huge wages. Gary Neville sat down with Ratcliffe last year and grilled him on the issue.
He said: "That’s not the players that played under Sir Alex, or even the last ten years. They’re players from the 60s and 70s. Why not raise the money at a dinner? Give the ex-players their money. It’s a cruel decision.”
Ratcliffe responded "nobody has suggested that because I would have supported that", in a comical scene that wouldn't have looked out of place in the political satire British television series 'The Thick of It'.
The truth is Ratcliffe has talked a good game, but he looks out of his depth. The Ineos team was supposed to be 'best in class', yet they have made decisions reminiscent of the previous regime.
Ratcliffe said it was fair to judge him after two seasons. As it happens, those two seasons could be the worst campaigns at Old Trafford for decades. It's little wonder a fresh protest will take place before Fulham.